Arizona fans greet conquering heroes

By Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. - Aglow from claiming their first NCAA basketball championship, the Arizona Wildcats returned home Tuesday to share the glory with thousands of adoring fans.

The jubilant reception amid a sea of red T-shirts stunned them. Hundreds of people lined streets and intersections all along their motorcade route from Tucson International Airport to the campus. And some 45,000 more cheering, screaming fans filled much of the university's football stadium.

When the motorcade reached the stadium, several thousand fans stormed onto the field to swarm their heroes. The team had returned from Indianapolis, where it defeated defending champion Kentucky 84-79 in overtime Monday night.

Miles Simon, the Final Four most outstanding player, echoed Olson. "It's unbelievable, it's unbelievable. Thank you all for coming."

He then introduced his teammates, only a few of whom said anything.

After the rally, center A.J. Bramlett said, "I didn't expect this many people. It just shows all the support we have. It's a credit to our fans."

His backup, Donnell Harris, added: "It was a wonderful feeling to see everybody come out and supporting us."

The team, escorted by a phalanx of police officers and security personnel, had to make its its way off the field through fans lined up diagonally across the grass.

Police encountered none of the sort of problems that surrounded a civil disturbance off-campus last night and earlier Tuesday, in which thousands of rowdy revelers flooded onto Fourth Avenue near campus. Among other things, an undercover police car was flipped, officers used a pepper gas to disperse a crowd that began throwing rocks and bottles, and six people were arrested.